Located in California, in the United States, the region is around 3 thousand square kilometers and includes a series of well-known cities, such as Palo Alto, Santa Clara, Fremont, Neward and many others.
The region received this name not due to the abundance of silicon deposits, as many people think, but because it was there that a series of semiconductor companies were established, which use silicon as their essential component.
The milestone for the beginning of the prosperous saga of this vp compliance email lists reference center in technological development was 1956, when William Shockley, one of the creators of the transistor, opened the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in the city of Mountain View. Since then, the region has become a kind of magnet for companies in the software development, internet and telecommunications sectors.
With a highly innovative environment, Silicon Valley, in addition to being the privileged place of residence for the market's largest companies, is also a hub that attracts the most restless minds and new talents, who seek to revolutionize the technology market through startups.
Centers of excellence throughout the country
To achieve levels of excellence in the development of new technological products, the appropriate material and cultural conditions must first be present. More than just a cluster of startups, Silicon Valley is a true hub for the development of skills, abilities and attitudes that brings together developers, investors and training centers, such as universities. By working together, these actors create a prosperous and synergistic environment that is self-sustaining and allows innovation to happen.
In Brazil, although there is no region as characteristic as the American Silicon Valley, there are a series of excellent technological hubs spread across the country.
One of the most successful experiences in Brazil is Porto Digital , located in Recife, founded in 2000. With a total area of 171 hectares, Porto Digital is a hub that brings together more than 300 companies, government bodies and development agencies, which operate in various areas, such as software, games, design , music, cinema, video, animation and photography.
Operating based on the Triple Helix model, which advocates the integration of actions by companies, academia and government, Porto Digital was considered by ANPROTEC – National Association of Promoters of Innovative Enterprises, in 2007, 2011 and 2015, the best technology park in Brazil.
Another region that stands out in Brazil is the San Pedro Valley . Founded in 2011 in the São Pedro neighborhood of Belo Horizonte, the technology hub began unpretentiously with the gathering of people with the same goals, and its name is an allusion to its prosperous American sister hub. Currently, there are over 300 companies established in the region, including startups, incubators and coworking spaces, which guarantees a rich business dynamic.
The mining hub is not a registered trademark, that is, it does not have legal formalization and, therefore, does not charge a monthly fee. San Pedro Valley, therefore, seeks to be much more than a simple aggregation of startups, but rather a way of thinking, of inserting oneself in a dynamic, spontaneous and synergistic way in reality, a true community focused on development and innovation.
Still in Minas Gerais, but now further south in the state, there is also an important technological hub for the country, “ The Electronics Valley ”, located in the municipality of Santa Rita do Sapucaí. Its emergence was mainly due to the installation of pioneering educational institutions in the region, starting in the late 1950s, focused on teaching electronics, information technology, telecommunications and administration. Currently, the technological hub of Santa Rita do Sapucaí brings together more than 153 companies, which together employ more than 14,700 people.
In the Southeast region, another important center for technological development and innovation is located in the city of São José dos Campos, in the Technological Park . The space, which seeks to be a synergistic environment capable of stimulating cooperation between companies and companies and research institutions, brings together everything from startups to medium and large companies from a wide range of sectors. A highlight is the Brazilian Aerospace Cluster, which brings together around 100 companies in the aviation sector, which, by sharing the same physical space, are able to better communicate and integrate a large part of their processes, which generates an increase in the strength and visibility of the group as a whole. The cluster also benefits from the availability of a highly qualified workforce trained by ITA – Instituto Tecnológico da Aeronáutica, with engineers and researchers versed in a wide range of areas, such as aerodynamics and propulsion and atomic and molecular physics.
And speaking of integration between companies and research institutions, there are also important advances in the area of agribusiness, especially in the interior of the State of São Paulo. State universities in São Paulo, such as USP campuses Piracicaba and Ribeirão Preto, and UNESP campus Botucatu, are important vectors for development and research in agribusiness, and function as trainers of excellent human capital to be absorbed by startups and large companies in the sector. The partnerships have proven to be quite fruitful, and are making great strides in innovation in rural areas, developing products and processes, for example, in the areas of genetics, satellite mapping, livestock farming and drones , used in crops.
There are also several other important technology hubs spread across the country, such as in Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul.
Although there is no such famous “valley” in Brazil as Silicon Valley, this is in no way a negative thing, quite the opposite. The inspiration from the model developed abroad serves as inspiration for us to increase our efforts to bring together people and processes in favor of the development of innovative technologies, capable of guaranteeing a certain degree of sovereignty and stability to the country.
